The Houston Astros see Wandy Rodriguez as one of the best left-handers in baseball, and they didn't want him to get away. Rodriguez and the Astros avoided arbitration and reached agreement Tuesday on a $34 million, three-year contract. The Astros said the contract will be finalized after Rodriguez takes a physical on Thursday. The deal includes a vesting option for 2014 that would increase the value to $44.5 million. "This is one of the top left-handed starters in the game," general manager Ed Wade said. "[He was] a year away from free agency, so to be able to be able to do three years guaranteed, with a fourth-year option, made all the sense in the world for us." Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6058659
